Same-day discharge for left atrial appendage occlusion procedure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Most patients undergoing a left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) procedure are admitted for overnight observation. A same-day discharge strategy offers the opportunity to improve resource utilization without compromising patient safety. We compared the patient safety outcomes and post-discharge complications between same-day discharge versus hospital admission (HA) (>1 day) in patients undergoing LAAO procedure. METHODS: A systematic search of MEDLINE and Embase was conducted. Outcomes of interest included peri-procedural complications, re-admissions, discharge complications including major bleeding and vascular complications, ischemic stroke, all-cause mortality, and peri-device leak >5 mm. Mantel-Haenszel risk ratios (RRs) with 95% CIs were calculated. RESULTS: A total of seven observational studies met the inclusion criteria. There was no statistically significant difference between same-day discharge versus HA regarding readmission (RR: 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.29-1.31]; p = .21), ischemic stroke after discharge (RR: 1.16; 95% CI: [0.49-2.73]), peri-device leak >5 mm (RR: 1.27; 95% CI: [0.42-3.85], and all-cause mortality (RR: 0.60; 95% CI: [0.36-1.02]). The same-day discharge study group had significantly lower major bleeding or vascular complications (RR: 0.71; 95% CI: [0.54-0.94]). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis of seven observational studies showed no significant difference in patient safety outcomes and post-discharge complications between same-day discharge versus HA. These findings provide a solid basis to perform a randomized control trial to eliminate any potential confounders.

National trends of malpractice-related cardiovascular mortality within the United States, 1999-2020.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) stands as the leading cause of mortality in the USA, claiming a life every 33 seconds, while cardiology ranks among the top three specialties with malpractice-related claims. The authors' study aims to scrutinize sex disparities in CVD-related mortality linked with malpractice among the elderly population (≥65 years) in the USA. Data pertaining to malpractice incidents in CVD treatment spanning from 1999 to 2020 were sourced from the CDC Wonder database. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 1,000,000 individuals were computed. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to determine the annual percent changes (APCs) with a 95% CI, stratified across variables such as age, race/ethnicity, census region, and urban or rural settings. Over the investigated period, 2432 deaths in the US were attributed to CVD-related malpractice, with an AAMR of 2.7. Initially stable (1999-2004), mortality rates experienced a significant decline until 2020. Females consistently exhibited a higher AAMR (2.7) than males (2.6). Notably, NH Black females recorded the highest AAMR (3.1), while NH Black males and NH Asian females reported the lowest (2.5). Furthermore, NH White males demonstrated a higher AAMR (2.7) than NH Black males (2.5); conversely, NH Black females exhibited a higher AAMR (3.1) than NH White females (2.7). Mortality rates were notably elevated in the West compared to the South, with both urban and rural areas indicating higher AAMRs in females. The authors' findings underscore the necessity for targeted interventions to address the pronounced disparities, particularly among NH Black women, individuals in the West, males, and urban locales.

Safety and feasibility of same-day discharge for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Most centers performing catheter ablation (CA) of atrial fibrillation (AF) admit the patients for an overnight hospital stay to monitor for post-procedure complications, but the clinical benefits of this overnight hospital admission policy have not been carefully investigated. We hypothesized that same-day discharge strategy is safe and feasible in patients with AF undergoing CA. METHODS: A systematic review of studies comparing the safety of same-day discharge vs hospital admission for AF patients undergoing CA was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. No randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria; therefore, observational cohort studies were included. Mantel-Haenszel risk ratios were calculated and I2 statistics were reported for heterogeneity assessment. RESULTS: A total of 8 observational studies with 10,102 patients were included. There were no statistically significant differences between same-day discharge vs hospital admission in all studied outcomes including post-discharge 30-day hospital visits (RR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.40-2.02; p = 0.81), post-discharge vascular/bleeding complications (RR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.46-1.88; p = 0.85), post-discharge stroke/transient ischemic attack/thromboembolism (RR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.23-2.20; p = 0.55), and post-discharge recurrent arrhythmias (RR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.60-1.09; p = 0.1). CONCLUSION: In carefully selected AF patients undergoing CA, same-day discharge strategy is feasible and safe. There are no significant differences in post-discharge 30-day hospital visits, post-discharge vascular complications, and other safety outcomes. Randomized trials are needed to validate these hypothesis-generating findings.

Statins everyday versus alternate days: Is there a difference in myalgia rates?

OBJECTIVE: Statins are widely used drugs, known to cause myalgia, leading to high discontinuation rates. The objective of our study was to determine the frequency of myalgia in patients on everyday-dose (EDD) regimen with those on alternate-day dose (ADD) regimen. METHODS: This cross sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital of Pakistan. A sample size of 400 patients between the age of 40-70 years, taking simvastatin 40mg for at least 6 months or more were selected. Patients with prior musculoskeletal or neuromuscular complains, and family history of muscular disorders were excluded. Subjects were evaluated for myalgia via a self-administered questionnaire, and those complaining of myalgia were then evaluated for serum vitamin D levels. Data was analyzed through SPSS 16.0 and compared using chi square test. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of myalgia was 7% (28/400). Frequency of myalgia in patients taking simvastatin everyday (n=20, 10%) was significantly higher compared to those taking it every alternate day (n=8, 4%) (p=0.02). There was no significant difference between the time of onset, nature, severity, type, or location of myalgia between the 2 groups. The most common cited triggering factor for pain was physical exercise. Of the patients experiencing myalgia, 13 (6.5%) from the EDD group and 6 (3%) from the ADD group had low levels of vitamin D. CONCLUSIONS: ADD regime was better tolerated by the patients than EDD regime. Alternate day therapy, with or without vitamin D supplementation, may be used by the physicians for troublesome muscular complains.